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Ten years later, Colorado Eagles continue to thrive

By Adam Dunivan Sports Writer

Posted:
10/11/2012 10:56:15 PM MDT

The Colorado Eagles have thrived at the Budweiser Events Center the last nine years, and estimates on the arena's economic impact on Northern Colorado hovers around $800 million, with the Eagles accounting for a third of that total.
(Hunter Thompson)

Memories are precious, so precious in fact they can even invoke physical emotions when conjured up in the brain years later.

And if you can't remember specifics, there's always YouTube.

The Colorado Eagles in their history have had plenty of highlights. Heck, Greg Pankewicz has made SportsCenter -- twice. Fraser Filipic's one-punch knockout of Graham Dearle, Chris Stewart's water-bottle escapade, Panks' playoff goal against Oklahoma City ... those particular moments are embedded in Northern Colorado's hockey lore.

As much as fans embrace the memories, the players do, too. But as important and gratifying as two championships have been for the organization, there are a lot deeper thoughts and emotions on the part of players and coaches who have been here for the long haul.

And for Stewart, the team's first head coach and only general manager, one of his favorites came even before the Eagles hit the ice for their first season in 2003.

"Just starting off with Ralph (Backstrom), just sitting down with him for the first month while we were living in a hotel trying to understand what our next move was," Stewart said from his Budweiser Events Center office recently. "Getting to know Ralph, understanding his demeanor. Besides this great hockey player I got to meet one of the nicest and smartest men that I ever met.

"Spending a month just really understanding what his vision was, was exciting to me."

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Relationships have been key to the success of the Eagles in Northern Colorado -- the driving force that has made them not only survive but thrive for 10 years. The relationships that have grown between players and fans are immeasurable, captain Riley Nelson said, and the partnership with sponsors has been just as key.

There are friendships between teammates that are now lifelong, too.

"Winning a championship in front of your family and friends, those are the reasons why you play," said Nelson, the only remaining player on the ice that started with the team. "But more so is the memories of the guys I've played with. Building a friendship with Ryan Tobler and Aaron Schneekloth and a lot of other guys. We're like brothers.

"There are special relationships within the community. Some people I've gotten real close with and those don't happen if I don't stay here and play for so long. Those are the things that I value."

Back when the franchise celebrated its fifth year of existence, it was labeled the 'Year of the Fan', and the Eagles did plenty to honor the folks who had stuck with them for that long.

This time around, in addition to the fans, the Eagles are going to honor some of the players who have made them such an exciting team to watch. The guys who made some of the memories that still are talked about all the time.

But Stewart and the organization are not going to stop there. He knows the day-to-day operations of the team could not happen without the work of many people and that the branches of this big tree extend far beyond just the guys who wear the sweaters.

In Stewart's eyes, there is just way too much to be thankful for.

"This whole thing has been done with a very large group of very good people," he said. "There's been some excellent players that have come through here that have made the franchise what it is today, there's been some great sponsors that have been there since day one. And you can't discount the fans; we're going to recognize them because some of them have had season tickets for all 10 years which is unheard of at the minor-league level.

"We're going to honor them all; people that have played for us, people that have been in supporting roles and people in our office that might often be overlooked. If it weren't for a lot of them, we wouldn't be where we are."

More than 140 players have suited up for the team over the years, and many of them have moved on to other teams and other life challenges.

But one thing the Eagles can boast proudly is their quality addition to the NoCo community. Estimates are the team's economic impact is $30 million annually, but also the Colorado Eagles Foundation has poured back out boatloads of money over the years.

"We've tried to give back, you know, and our foundation has donated well over $1 million over the years," Backstrom said. "We feel a part of the community and we want to continue doing so."

On a more human-to-human level, many good-character players and families have decided to call the area their permanent home.

One needs only to look at Northern Colorado Youth Hockey to see that, as Aaron Grosul, Scott Swanson, Morgan Cey and now Steve Haddon have all taken on bigger roles with children trying to learn the game the right way.

Pankewicz, one of the original members of the team, is still a lovable face of the franchise, and Ryan Bach, Les Borsheim and Brad Williamson, to name a few, are all permanent residents.

Nelson and Aaron Schneekloth both consider Colorado the place they are going to stay.

"I would never think of leaving, and really I would have left a long time ago if I didn't want to be here," said Nelson. "The fans and the people in the community, it's awesome. It's a blast."

"I'm real proud to be here for seven years ... and this is my home. This is where I'll be raising my family whether I'm playing or not," Schneekloth said. "It helps to get the beautiful landscape, the good schools, the safe community, and there's something here for everybody. We fell in love with it seven years ago and have made this our home."

So as they continue to make memories on the ice with another group of talented and eager-to-please players, some of the same Colorado Eagles are making things happen off the ice in Northern Colorado.

That kind of stuff won't show up on YouTube, but it's another reason why the Eagles will likely continue to be one of the strongest franchises in all of minor league sports for the foreseeable future.

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